1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to magnetic tape storage systems in general. More particularly, the present invention relates magnetic tape storage systems capable of receiving commands from a host computer system. Still more particularly, the present invention relates to a method and apparatus for a magnetic tape storage system to adaptively handle Space commands sent from a host computer system.
2. Description of Related Art
Magnetic tape storage systems remain to be the most efficient and cost-effective means for providing data backup for computer systems because no other storage technology offers the same low-cost/high-capacity combined advantage. Data required by a computer system can be written to or read from a magnetic tape within a magnetic tape storage system. By sending various commands to the magnetic tape storage system, the computer system can control the operations of the magnetic tape storage operation.
During a read operation, the computer system sometimes needs to direct the magnetic tape storage system to fast forward the magnetic tape to various specific locations in order for data at those specific locations of the magnetic tape to be read. A command that the computer system utilizes to instruct the magnetic tape storage system to fast forward by skipping certain portions of the magnetic tape during a read operation is called a Space command.
Typically, a Space command is issued between two Read commands. For example, the computer system may issue a Read command to the magnetic tape storage system in order to read data from a first location of a magnetic tape, and then the computer system may issue a Space command before issuing another Read command to the magnetic tape storage system for reading data from a second location that is not contiguous from the first location on the magnetic tape.
The present disclosure provides a method and apparatus for a magnetic tape storage system to adaptively handle Space commands from an associated computer system.